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In just over a week's time on Thursday 3 October, Stormaen will go to the polls to elect the 27th Parliament of Stormaen - which is where you come in!

I'd like you all to participate in my general election, if you wouldn't mind! I have a slight problem in finding third-party online sites that will allow me to host anonymous elections, however. I'll keep trying but, if I can't find anything satisfactory (or try and make something) then you may have to vote by PM to me...

OverviewThe 2013 Stormaen general election will take place on Thursday 3 October 2013 to determine the membership of the 27th Stormaen Parliament.

Ninety MPs will be elected to the House of Assembly of Stormaen: 54 from single-member electorates and 36 from party lists. Since 1985, Stormaen has used a form of the Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) voting system, giving voters two votes: 1 vote for a political party and 1 vote for their local electorate MP.

A total of 1,622,743 people are registered to vote in the election. Turnout is usually high in Stormaen, averaging around 80% for the last 20 years.

The incumbent Stormaen Progressive Conservatives (SPC), led by Dean Emerson, are seeking a third term in office. In 2001, Emerson and his "ProCons" won 41 seats, just 5 short of an overall majority and defeating the so called "traffic light coalition" of Labour-Green-Nationalist. Emerson elected to form a minority government with a supply and confidence agreement with the Liberal Party (the Liberals themselves not being a part of the government). In 2009, Emerson won 46 seats, an outright majority of 2, enabling him to form the first majority government since the 1985 general election.

The opposition Labour Party, led by David Warner, will be looking to end the SPC's 8 years in power. The minor parties will also be hoping to make gains.

BackgroundIn 2005, Dean Emerson and his Progressive Conservatives ("ProCons") won enough seats to govern as a minority government with a supply and confidence agreement with the Liberal Party. In 2009, he went one better (or rather 5 seats better) and won 46 seats -- an outright majority of 2 seats (the minimum needed for a party to govern alone). Prior to this, there was a so called "traffic light coalition" of Labour-Green-Nationalist which had been in power (sometimes only tentatively) since 1993.

Despite being Chief Minister for 8 years and leader of the ProCons for 10 years, Emerson remains popular with Stormaeners and he is credited with having shielded the country from the world recession of the late 2000s. He is economically and socially liberal and has made extensive reforms to welfare and social programmes. Education reform has been a primary theme of his ministry. He is firmly a Yorkist in Stormaen political terms. Nevertheless, there remains persistent rumour that Emerson will resign sometime after this forthcoming election and, despite his and other ministers' denials, the speculation remains rife.

Labour have had a difficult time in the polls since 2001. Despite dominating post-war politics in Stormaen, the Labour party have been steadily on the decline since the 1970s, firmly losing the battle for the centre against the SPC and Liberals. New leader, David Warner, has sought to reform his party. He has cut many ties with trade unions (themselves on the decline) but has insisted on repositioning his party to the centre (after many years of leftward drift).

The other parties have made gains against Labour's loss. As the party has struggled to find a stable ground, smaller parties have been setting in: in particular, the Green Party has seen its vote share double in the last 8 years.

Parties & CandidatesA quick note on politics in Stormaen: whilst many of the names may sound familiar amongst the political parties, the traditional "right-left" politics has, for some 40 years now, been very much blurred. For example, the centre-left Labour Party has always been seen as more statist and authoritarian than the centre-right Progressive Conservatives. The National Party, likewise, is not 'nationalist' in the traditional sense and the Liberal Party is considered the more socially conservative of the political parties in Parliament.

Here's a brief political compass of where the parties roughly stand. For more detailed descriptions, read on!

Firstly, the two-dimensional Political Compass layout on the left. Then, top-right, Stormaen's "traditional" left-right axis. Below that is the one-dimensional economic and social scales of the parties.

Progressive ConservativesLeader: Dean Emerson MP, Chief MinisterDeputy: Christine Young MP, Foreign SecretaryIdeology:• Economic liberalism• Social liberalism• LibertarianismPosition: centre to centre-rightSeats won at last election: 46 / 90Vote share at last election: 40.9%Details:In 2009, Emerson led his party to majority government -- the first instance of such since 1985. The party are generally regarded favourably by the Stormaen public, having shielded the country from the 'world recession' of the late-2000s. In the last 8 years, the party has strengthened its position at the centre-ground and is now expanding into Green territory with emphasise on renewable energy policies. The party draws criticism from the left for its small government approach, with many saying the party looks uninvolved and uncaring.Voter base:The SPC traditionally appeals to the "aspirational classes" who want better for themselves and their children and are willing to work for it. In this regard, middle-income voters tend to vote overwhelmingly for the SPC. In 2009, over half of middle-income voters marked their ballots for the SPC. Amongst the sexes: women are more likely to vote SPC than men are. • SPC's largest voter base is middle-income women, aged 18-40.• SPC's smallest voter base is amongst lower-income men aged 18-40.

LabourLeader: David Warner MPDeputy: Edward Bishop MPIdeology:• Third way economics• Socially progressive• Social democracyPosition: centre-left to leftSeats won at last election: 25 / 90Vote share at last election: 28.3%Details:After decades of infighting, Warner has wrestled his party back to the centre-ground it occupied when Andrew Brown led it to victory in 1993. The party has opposed the SPC's welfare reforms saying that it benefits only the rich and that those at the very bottom are unduly penalised. He wants to withdraw foreign aide spending, saying Stormaen is "too small" to make the contributions and that the money could be better used on healthcare. He has promised to tackle the energy companies and move to greener energy if his party is elected.Voter base:Unsurprisingly, Labour mostly appeal to working class men. In 2009, two-thirds of low-income men voted for Labour. Women, even working class women, seem less inclined to vote for Labour, thought 40% of low-income women still voted for the party. Amongst the over-65s, Labour are often called the "Marmite party": you love them or hate them.• Labour's largest voter base is lower-income men, aged 18-40.• Labour's smallest voter base is middle-income women, aged 18-40.

LiberalLeader: John Ewart Donaldson MPDeputy: Daniel Jenkins MPIdeology:• Economic liberalism• Classic liberalismPosition: centre-right to rightSeats won at last election: 5 / 90Vote share at last election: 10.28%Details:The Liberal Party was once a pillar of Stormaen politics. Whereas once it was the largest centre-left party, the Liberals are now considered a conservative party (ironic given their foes for much of the 19th and early-20th century were the Conservative Party). The party is largely seen as a "country-bumpkin" party and has seen a significant decline in recent decades. The party tends to perform better in electorate votes than in the party list votes (sometimes receiving twice the numbers of votes in electorates as it does on the party lists).Vote base:As mentioned, the Liberals are largely seen as a conservative, rural party. Its leader, John Ewart Donaldson, currently defends the safest electorate seat for any party in Parliament and holds the current largest majority amongst electorate MPs (8,482 votes). Amongst• Liberal's largest voter base is high-income rural men, aged 40 and over (40% of whom vote Liberal).• Liberal's lowest voter base is lower-income women, aged 18-40.

GreenCo-Leaders: Thom Woods MP - Charlotte Fairbairn MPIdeology:• Democratic socialism• Social progressivism• EnvironmentalismPosition: left to far-leftSeats won at last election: 6 / 90Vote share at last election: 7.9%Details:In party list votes, the Greens broke through the 10% mark in 2009 (although, combined with electorate votes, it equated a total of 7.9%) and are considered a party on the rise in Stormaen. In particularly, as a credible alternative to Labour, who continue to struggle to make in-roads against the SPC. Co-leader Thom Woods is the first openly gay party leader in Stormaen. The party has criticised SPC attempts to "look green but not act green" and has been a harsh critic of the welfare reform. Whereas once the Greens were seen as unelectable, Woods and Fairbairn have significantly transformed the fortunes of the party since becoming co-leaders in 2001.Voter base:The Greens have significantly increased their vote share in the last 8 years but have not yet carved out a specific voter base (something that helps them in the party list votes). The party is most popular with middle-income women, though significantly behind the SPC and Labour. Popular among urbanites, it has minimal support amongst rural dwellers who mostly oppose the building of wind farms near where they live. • The Greens' largest voter base is middle-income women, aged 18-40.• The Greens' smallest voter base is high-income men, aged 65 and over.

NationalLeader: Malcolm Hope MPDeputy: Douglas Walsh MPIdeology:• Third-way economics• Civic nationalism• RepublicanismPosition: leftSeats won at last election: 7 / 90Vote share at last election: 7.6%Details:The National Party narrowly took the 3rd most seats in 2009, caused by their marginal win of the Hilltown electorate (122 votes). However, in terms of votes, they came 5th behind the Liberals and the Greens. Their leader, Malcolm Hope, has led the party since March 2013, making him the shortest-serving party leader in Parliament. He is an outspoken sceptic of climate change and globalisation. Whilst the Nationalists' republicanism is not unique, it is the only party calling for such. (Opinions polls show about 70% of Stormaeners support the monarchy). Despite this, the party is moving away from being a sole-issue party and is now widely seen as a credible alternative to Labour. His is the only party that opposes gay marriage.Voter base:Formed before the Second World War, the Nationalists have never made much of an impact. Even amongst their strongest voter base (see below) they play second fiddle to Labour by some margin. • National's largest voter base is low-income men, aged 18-40.• National's smallest voter base is high-income women, aged 65 and over.

What is a "Yorkist"? - Presumably not to do with the War of the Roses?

I was going to include a summary of Yorkism (and opposition questioning of its relevance) in the party summaries but it was very long-winded in draft form.

Essentially "Yorkism" is named after Oliver York (Chief Minister, 1973-87) would nowadays be called "libertarianism" but for its day was considered almost revolutionary (especially in the often behind the times Stormaen).

In brief: York founded the ProCons and perhaps had more of an impact on Stormaen's politics – and arguably everyday life – than any other person in Stormaen's history. I'll put more on the party briefs (I should really add this to a wiki)!

Al, there's many a typo in it! Product of rushing and migraine! But do point them out when you see them! Though it doesn't look it, I'm a perfectionist! I'll fix the typos I can spot with refreshed eyes tomorrow!

And DPL, I'll include that info when I flesh out the campaigning section tomorrow!

CampaigningBy and large, the last 4 years has been relatively smooth for Stormaeners. The economy has continued to grow at a steady pace and inflation has been low. All parties, either reluctantly or enthusiastically, embrace the free-market economy and, so some extent, globalisation. However, economy aside, several key issues have emerged, about which the election debates have situated.

These are:

Taxation & tax reform;

Healthcare;

Welfare reform;

Energy;

Foreign affairs, and;

Same-sex marriage

Taxation & Tax ReformOne of the biggest areas of campaigning is taxation and tax reform. Oliver York's ProCon government introduced flat taxes to Stormaen with those earning over $30K paying a flat rate of 31%. The Labour-Green-Nationalist coalition re-introduced progressive taxation in 1997, which saw lower-earners paying tax for the first time in almost 25 years.

In 2005, as part of his supply and confidence agreement with the Liberal Party, Emerson agreed to withhold re-introducing flat taxes but promised instead to lower taxation across the board, with those earning under $20K paying no taxes. The higher-earner threshold was dropped from 39% to 35% and, since 2009, has been at 33%. Emerson also reduced Goods and Services Tax (GST) from 15% to 12.5%. In 2009, the ProCons introduced a flat 10% business tax with new businesses not paying taxes for the first two years and no businesses paying taxes on losses.

ProCons - Emerson ruled out flat taxes in 2005 and 2009 and continues to do so. He has described current taxation levels as "a good balance".

Labour - Labour have been critical of the tax cuts, saying it dangerously undercuts the government's ability to provide well-funded services for Stormaen. They add that, proportionately, the rich have had a greater tax cut than the other tax levels. They have not ruled out raising taxes but have said they would prefer to seek income from elsewhere. Where exactly remains an area of debate for the party (and its opponents).

Liberal - The Liberals have traditionally supported lower taxation across the board but support progressive taxes on individuals. The party does, however, support flat taxes for businesses (especially rural enterprises).

Greens - The Greens are the only party to openly support a rise in taxation. Their co-leaders Thom Woods and Charlotte Fairbairn have both advocated Stormaen move towards the Scandinavian model of higher taxation for higher quality services and programmes. Fairbairn said she would like to see businesses pay a capital gains tax (something they currently do not pay) as well as move to a progressive tax arrangement as per individual taxation.

National - National support current taxation levels but have said they are flexible on the idea. They support the Greens' notion of higher business taxes and a capital gains tax.

HealthcarePolls consistently show Stormaeners are concerned with how the Stormaen Health Service (SHS) will be funded in future a well as if it is value for money or not. In the last term, the ProCons, citing the growing funding problem with the SHS instituted a part-privatisation initiative (PPI) under the slogan "Your Pay, Your Say". Under this initiative, certain medical costs are met directly by the patient but, in return, they have more say over their treatment (e.g. where and when surgeries take place). Doctors appointments, prescriptions and Accident & Emergency care are paid for by the patient, although only to a certain amount ($200), not upfront and there are certain exemptions (children under 18, those over 60, etc). Labour have strongly criticised the, saying it targets the poor (who Labour claim are the biggest users of those services) and that it has fundamentally changed the SHS promise to be "free at the point of need". Likewise, the Greens have accused the ProCons of "selling off" the SHS.

So far, Stormaeners have responded cautiously to the idea although a survey in early-2013 showed 46% of respondents thought the SHS had improved since the changes were introduced (compared to 36% who said it had not changed and 18% who said it had gotten worse).

ProCon - The ProCons have said that the PPI is here to stay. They have also said it will not be expanded for the time being (if at all).

Labour - Labour have promised to scrap the PPI. They claim it does not deliver on value for money and wrongly penalises the poor - the ones who depend most upon the SHS. They have not ruled out raising taxes to pay for the extra funding.

Liberal - The Liberals widely support the PPI and have called for it to go further, including a SHS+ service, a wholly privatised subsidiary or sister company of the SHS (similar to the way Stormaen's healthcare worked in the York years).

Greens - The Greens support a return to fully free medical treatment and have said they would raise taxes across the board to pay for it; part of their advocating for the Scandinavian model.

National - Nationals have also declared opposition to the PPI and have said they would, if forming part of the next government, put it under review. However, the party has said it would be willing to keep the PPI if it was successful in its goals of improving and adding extra funding to the SHS. They have also said that only those above a certain income level should pay under the PPI scheme, however.

Welfare reformWelfare reform has proven to be one of the most popular areas of Emerson's ProCon government. Prior to 2005, there were over 50 individual benefits that could be claimed from disability benefit to unemployment benefit to child benefit. In 2007, these benefits were merged into a Universal Allowance, which was different dependent on an individuals needs, rather than that individual having to separately apply for many different benefits. Coupled with harsher punishments for benefits cheats, this has widely been praised for cutting the cost of benefits to the country.

The unemployed looking-for-work are now enrolled into mandatory work trials after claiming for 12 months. These work trials last between 7 and 14 days (depending on individual companies) and many offer semi-permanent work-places afterwards (depending on whether or not the individual shows skill enough for the job). After 2 years, claimants are placed on mandatory skills acquirement courses (SACs), although they can (and many do) opt into these sooner. The latter have been particularly praised for getting unskilled school-leavers into training and higher-skilled jobs.

ProCons - The ProCons are currently satisfied with the level of reforms and have no current plans to expand them.

Labour - Labour have said they will not scrap the Universal Allowance scheme if they are returned to office in 2013, they have, however, said they may separate some benefits from the UA so as to separate certain areas (such as disability) from the general pool of claimants. The ProCons have derided this as "fixing something that isn't broken" and have largely blamed the Labour-Green-Nationalist coalition for the chaos of the benefits system prior to initial reforms in 2007.

Liberal - The Liberals support the current system and want to make it harder for certain people to claim benefits (such as the elderly rich).

Greens - Again, the Greens tend to offer the largest opposition to the welfare reforms. They have criticised the system for "tarring everyone with the same brush" and that to pay two people in the same situation different benefit amounts is "discrimination" (although they have not cited any examples of this). The Greens have promised a better funded welfare programme with less restrictions. To date, they have not been wholly specific on the nature of these programmes.

National - National broadly support the UA but echo the Greens' concerns that it may discriminate against certain groups by making it harder for them to claim.

EnergyOn the whole, Stormaeners are particularly keen on maintaining their island's natural beauty. Stormaen and its territorial waters have been a nuclear free zone since 2010, a move 80% of the public supported. Currently, all parties and party leaders support Stormaen remaining an NFZ.

A recent survey showed just 30% of Stormaeners believe in man-made global warming (compared to 45% who did not, the rest unsure) but that 97% of the same people supported greener initiatives such as recycling and moving to renewable energy production. The ProCons have invested more in green energy than any previous government. Recently, the government (through private investment) opened the South West Wind Farm, Canada's largest offshore wind farm, generating 20% of Stormaen's energy needs - considered one of the crowning achievements of Emerson's ministry.

ProCons - The ProCons have continued to move into the Greens' traditional territory. Emerson is a well known sceptic on man-made climate change but, nevertheless, supports increased levels of recycling and moving Stormaen into greener, renewable energy sources. In 2005, he launched the ReNew-22 scheme, designed to make Stormaen meet 50% of its energy needs from renewable sources by 2022. In 2011, legislation was passed requiring all new build housing developments to have solar panels and more green spaces.

Labour - Despite being in coalition with the Greens from 1993-2005, Labour have been slow to adopt green policies, mainly because they negatively affect the more industrialised areas they traditionally find their voter bases in. Nevertheless, current leader David Warner has said he will continue, if not expand, the current government's investments in green energy. In a difference between himself and other leaders, however, he has promised to tackle the existing energy companies and to pass laws regulating prices. The markets have reacted negatively to this saying that it would artificially lower prices and would lead to energy companies being unable to adapt to wholesale price changes.

Liberal - The Liberals are perhaps the least green of the parties, primarily because green issues often negatively affect agricultural practices. The Liberals support offshore wind farms but are opposed to wind farms on land. They support hydroelectric energy production through means of damn building.

Greens - In this area, the Greens naturally feel at home. They have the most ambitious plans for renewable energy development but have coupled it with a part-nationalisation plan for the major energy companies. This has been attacked by the ProCons and doesn't prove popular with voters.

National - National also want to expand renewable energy development through hydroelectric, wind, solar and tidal energy.

Foreign affairsWhilst no party in Stormaen is considered "isolationist", the current ProCon government is considered more "internationalist" economically and diplomatically than any of the other parties. They have been keen to open Stormaen up to the region and to expand trade and relations with other nations in the region in a multi-lateral approach.

ProCons - Having previously established free trade agreements with individual nations in Canada, the ProCons want to establish a region-wide free trade agreement (as has been discussed by other Canadian governments before). Whereas they're opposed to political unions of any form, they advocate a kind of "Canadian Conference" for governments to hold multi-party discussions via. The ProCons are opposed to protectionist policies and tariffs.

Labour - Labour are the opposite of the ProCons on this issue: favouring political unions whilst opposing open-ended free trade agreements. They have expressly stated that they wish to place import duties on certain goods and services being brought in to Stormaen to "level the playing field" between Stormaen's industries and those alike overseas.

Liberal - The Liberals seem to want the best of both worlds, mixing the Labour and ProCon models: they support some protectionism for Stormaen's economy whilst also wanting full access to foreign markets. They oppose political unions that would result in economic areas being governed by supranational bodies.

Greens - The Greens are most opposed to globalisation (though even they accept it as a necessary evil). They are fully opposed to international economic agreements and support protectionist policies and higher tariffs on oil and gas exports and imports. They are mildly sceptical about possible political unions, but support the ProCon idea for a "Canadian Conference".

National - National are largely in line with the Liberals in this area, supporting protectionist policies that benefit Stormaen whilst also supporting international agreements that benefit certain industries. They support a political union, however.

Same-Sex MarriageIn a 2013 poll, some 60% of Stormaeners supported same-sex marriage with 25% opposed to it and the rest undecided. Amongst the political parties, three of the five parties in Parliament expressly support same-sex marriage with only two divided on the issue. The SPC and Labour are both campaigning on introducing a same-sex marriage bill in early-2014 to be brought into force by mid-2014.

ProCons - Having led his party's approval of civil partnerships in 2003, Emerson fully supports the introduction of same-sex marriage in Stormaen and has said he will seek to have a bill introduced, passed and in force by mid-2014.

Labour - Likewise, Labour also support same-sex marriage introduction and have said it will be on of their priorities if they win the election.

Liberal - The Liberals are the most divided party on same-sex marriage. Just over half (51%) of its members are outright opposed to the idea. The party leadership has said that, should a same-sex marriage bill be introduced to Parliament, its MPs may vote as they wish rather than follow any party lines. About 35% of its membership is in favour of same-sex marriage, the rest being undecided.

Greens - The Greens have advocated for same-sex marriage since 2002 - longer than any other party. They have made a same-sex marriage bill part of their demands for any possible coalition it may be part of.

National - Along with the Liberals, the Nationals are somewhat divided on this issue. However, unlike the Liberals, the slight majority are in favour of same-sex marriage, whilst a sizeable majority are opposed.

Opinion PollingOpinion polling in Stormaen cannot be taken as universal across the country. This is because, despite the proportionately allocated list seats, results in the electorate seats can vary significantly from the national result. So whereas, a party may nominally appear to have enough public support to win a certain number of seats, that may well not be the case come election day.

Below is a poll of polls, showing the averages each party has polled in each month since the last election in October 2009. Most of the parties have more or less maintained their levels of support, with change most pronounced amongst the smaller parties.

Amongst the larger parties:The ProCons have gained slightly since 2009, up 3 points on average. They had a mid-2011 high of 47.5% - a level of support not seen for the ProCons (or any other party) since the mid-1980s. Labour is down by about the same amount as new leader David Warner fails to make an impression on voters.

Amongst the smaller parties:The Greens have gained the largest amount of support since October 2009 and are up 3-4 points. Between them, the Nationals and the Liberals haven't moved much, each losing 1 point since 2009.

In the preferred chief minister poll, Emerson trumps Warner by a margin of three to one:

So it looks very much like the ProCons are going to remain the largest party, the key questions being whether will have an overall majority, and if not whether they will opt for a minority government or a partnership, presumably with the Liberals.

It is very hard to find properly cited quotes on the internet.~Abraham Lincoln

So it looks very much like the ProCons are going to remain the largest party, the key questions being whether will have an overall majority, and if not whether they will opt for a minority government or a partnership, presumably with the Liberals.

I forgot to mention! I'll include "predictions" in tomorrow's update, along with a "voting guide" (how it works, not how to vote!)

Due to the large number of urban electorates and the strength of Labour's support in those areas, Labour can make big gains from very small rises in vote share (that was a primary reason for them just edging out the ProCons in '93). So if they take enough electorate votes and the Greens and Nationalists win enough party list votes, they could actually wrestle out a majority.

However, all your votes can make a difference! Stormaeners can be tactical wee voters! More to come in tomorrow's update!